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It was an interview(1) of the rebel's leader on RFI radio (in French) earlier today. They apparently realized Deby was there because the combat was extremely v

by rtsil 6y ago

It was an interview(1) of the rebel's leader on RFI radio (in French) earlier today. They apparently realized Deby was there because the combat was extremely violent. They attacked him, he was wounded and evacuated on a helicopter. (1) https://soundcloud.com/radiofranceinternationale/mahamat-mahdi-ali-idriss-deby-pensait-etre-invincible https://soundcloud.com/radiofranceinternationale/mahamat-mah...

boomboomsubban 6y ago
That's a bit of credibility, but the rebel leader is on good enough terms with France to get an interview talking about how they assassinated a country's leader? France has military bases in Chad, that seems like an odd connection. I realize these are now conspiracies based on assumptions. I'm not calling for the new government of Chad to be overthrown based on them, it just sounds too much like something the CIA is ultimately behind to me.
- rtsil 6y ago
  He's not. France froze his assets for being a member of a terrorist organization, and France is the Western power that has always supported Deby and is currently supporting his son. If anything, France has helped the regulary army against the rebels. RFI might be a public radio broadcaster, but that doesn't mean they are only talking to "friends" of France or exclusively conveying the "voice" of France. Quite the contrary, their international coverage is quite good, and much better than the other (private, commercial) French radio stations.
  - boomboomsubban 6y ago
    Does RFI have a habit of letting terrorist's voice their point of view on the air? Even if they put out a less biased view than the commercial stations, they still basically exist as a propaganda station. They're only going to broadcast something like this if they want the world to hear it for some reason.
    - rtsil 6y ago
      Well, "terrorism" is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it? But sure, they regularly interview rebels of all stripes, except Islamist insurgents I think (at least I can't think of one such interview). > they still basically exist as a propaganda station. They're only going to broadcast something like this if they want the world to hear it for some reason. That's a point of view. I've seen them accused of being at the same time pro-regime and pro-opposition/rebels, inside the same countries, all across Africa, regardless of which group France is supporting. So who knows? I've even heard once the officials from an opposition party in an African country during a period of unrest, protesting against the then-current RFI correspondant covering the country and asking for his replacement by another RFI reporter, supposedly more neutral. So, again, it's in the eye of the beholder. Also, being a public radio doesn't necessarily mean they're subservient. We have a national station here which is quite leftist, France Inter. Whenever the government is right-wing (or center-right), it will criticize the government's politics quite severely. Maybe being a civil servant with a lifetime job guarantee helps being less subservient? Or maybe I'm just hopelessly naive.
      - boomboomsubban 6y ago
        Come up with one reason that France would fund RFI that isn't essentially propaganda. It's the kind of bias that exists outside the internal political debate, which makes it far better than the alternative commercial stations, but the stated goal is to spread the French POV worldwide. Again, I realize I'm terribly cynical on these issues. We can both have the same information about the network and my distrust will just lead me to this conclusion.
        rtsil 6y ago
        Oh, France absolutely funds it for propaganda reasons, and that was one of the stated reasons of forcing RFI to joint the new, state-backed international Radio-TV group a couple of years ago. That's not even some hidden, secret motivation. It was stated publicly. I'm just saying that the dog doesn't always (emphasis on "always") go where the masters want it to go, particularly when the masters come and go at the whim of the voters but the dog is always there.

by rtsil 6y ago

boomboomsubban 6y ago

That's a bit of credibility, but the rebel leader is on good enough terms with France to get an interview talking about how they assassinated a country's leader? France has military bases in Chad, that seems like an odd connection. I realize these are now conspiracies based on assumptions. I'm not calling for the new government of Chad to be overthrown based on them, it just sounds too much like something the CIA is ultimately behind to me.

rtsil 6y ago
He's not. France froze his assets for being a member of a terrorist organization, and France is the Western power that has always supported Deby and is currently supporting his son. If anything, France has helped the regulary army against the rebels. RFI might be a public radio broadcaster, but that doesn't mean they are only talking to "friends" of France or exclusively conveying the "voice" of France. Quite the contrary, their international coverage is quite good, and much better than the other (private, commercial) French radio stations.
- boomboomsubban 6y ago
  Does RFI have a habit of letting terrorist's voice their point of view on the air? Even if they put out a less biased view than the commercial stations, they still basically exist as a propaganda station. They're only going to broadcast something like this if they want the world to hear it for some reason.
  - rtsil 6y ago
    Well, "terrorism" is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it? But sure, they regularly interview rebels of all stripes, except Islamist insurgents I think (at least I can't think of one such interview). > they still basically exist as a propaganda station. They're only going to broadcast something like this if they want the world to hear it for some reason. That's a point of view. I've seen them accused of being at the same time pro-regime and pro-opposition/rebels, inside the same countries, all across Africa, regardless of which group France is supporting. So who knows? I've even heard once the officials from an opposition party in an African country during a period of unrest, protesting against the then-current RFI correspondant covering the country and asking for his replacement by another RFI reporter, supposedly more neutral. So, again, it's in the eye of the beholder. Also, being a public radio doesn't necessarily mean they're subservient. We have a national station here which is quite leftist, France Inter. Whenever the government is right-wing (or center-right), it will criticize the government's politics quite severely. Maybe being a civil servant with a lifetime job guarantee helps being less subservient? Or maybe I'm just hopelessly naive.
    - boomboomsubban 6y ago
      Come up with one reason that France would fund RFI that isn't essentially propaganda. It's the kind of bias that exists outside the internal political debate, which makes it far better than the alternative commercial stations, but the stated goal is to spread the French POV worldwide. Again, I realize I'm terribly cynical on these issues. We can both have the same information about the network and my distrust will just lead me to this conclusion.
      - rtsil 6y ago
        Oh, France absolutely funds it for propaganda reasons, and that was one of the stated reasons of forcing RFI to joint the new, state-backed international Radio-TV group a couple of years ago. That's not even some hidden, secret motivation. It was stated publicly. I'm just saying that the dog doesn't always (emphasis on "always") go where the masters want it to go, particularly when the masters come and go at the whim of the voters but the dog is always there.